ve
looked for them every day for a long time, and begin to weary. My
thought is now to launch my kayak when we come to open water, load it
with meat, take four spears and more lines than a strong hunter needs
for a whole season; then paddle away south to discover the land of the
Kablunets. They must be poor; they may be starving. I will guide them
to our home, and show them this land of plenty."

He paused abruptly, and looked at his mother with solemn anxiety, for he
was well aware that he had given her food for profound reflection.

We feel tempted here to repeat our remark about the strong resemblance
between different members of the human family, but refrain.

This untutored woman of the Arctic lands met her son's proposition with
the well-known reply of many civilised persons.

"Of what use would it be, my son? No good can come of searching out
these poor lands. You cannot benefit the miserable Kablunets. Perhaps
they are savage and fierce; and you are sure to meet with dangers by the
way. Worse--you may die!"

"Mother," returned Chingatok, "when the white bear stands up with his
claws above my head and his mouth a-gape, does my hand tremble or my
spear fail?"

"No, my son."

"Then why do you speak to me of danger and death?"

Toolooha was not gifted with argumentative powers. She relapsed into
silence and lamp-smoke.

But her son was not to be so easily dissuaded. He adopted a line of
reasoning which never failed.

"Mother," he said, sadly, "it may be that you are right, and I am of too
fearful a spirit to venture far away from you by myself; I will remain
here if you think me a coward."

"Don't say so, Chingatok. You know what I think. Go, if you must go,
but who will hunt for your poor old mother when you are gone?"

This was an appeal which the astute little woman knew to be very
powerful with her son. She buried her head in the smoke again, and left
the question to simmer.

Chingatok was tender-hearted. He said nothing, but, as usual, he
thought much, as he gazed in a contemplative manner at his oily parent,
and there is no saying to what lengths of self-sacrifice he would have
gone if he had not been aroused, and his thoughts scattered to the
winds, by a yell so tremendous that it might well have petrified him on
the spot. But it did nothing of the kind. It only caused him to drop
on his knees, dart through the tunnel like an eel, spring into the open
air like an electrified ra